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"419" Scam – Advance Fee / Fake Lottery Scam

• About the 419 (Advance Fee) scam
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Victims never receive this non-existent fortune but are tricked into sending their money to the criminals, who remain anonymous. They hide their real identity and location by using fake names and fake postal addresses as well as communicating via anonymous free email accounts and mobile phones.

Read more about such scams here or in our 419 FAQ. Use the Scam-O-Matic to verify suspect emails.

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Some comments by the Scam-O-Matic about the following email:

• The following phrases in this message should put you on alert:
  • "a security company " (this will cost you money - be careful with upfront payments to anyone you only know through email, especially if they promise you a lot of money. Never ever send money by Western Union or MoneyGram to people you do not know personally. )
  • "trunk box" (they want you to be blinded by the prospect of quick money, but the only money that ever changes hands in 419 scams is from you to the criminals)
  • "abidjan" (a location commonly mentioned in 419 scams)
• This email message is a orphan scam.

Fraud email example:

From: (sent from abused email account)
Reply-To: willia01dav@yahoo.co.jp
Date: Sat, 15 Nov 2008 08:47:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Dear hi


Dear hi

Our reason of contacting you is purely based on seeking your assistance. To tell you more about us, our names are Williams David and Sarah David. I am 22 years old while my younger sister is 19 years old we are the children of late Mr and Mrs Donald David and we are living here in Abidjan, the capital city of Cote d’ Ivoire in West Africa.

I am a student studying mass communication but the sudden death of our father. I forced myself to discontinue my studies because no one could sponsor my studies again. My mother died many years back when I was just 8 years old and since then I and my younger sister have been with my father and he took me so special as the only son.
His death was so sudden and was caused by food poisoning as the doctor said in his death certificate but we are suspecting one of my uncle who always travel with him any time he is making overseas trip as the person who planned his death, well only God knows the truth.

The issue now is that I and my younger sister want to move out of this country immediately to a more secure place where we will live for the rest of our life because since the death of our father, his brother’s and other family relatives have all taken over all my late father’s belongings including his business and houses and they don’t even want to consider me and my younger sister.

In my own case, my father was a business man who always export Cocoa to Europe and he made a lot of money from this business and own lot of properties and houses, his brothers have taken control of all these things and they can even kill me too if I should ask about them. For this reason, I don’t want to be associated with them again.
However, my father confided a secret to me before his death in a hospital here. He told me that he deposited a consignment in a security company here in Abidjan Cote D Ivoire, a Trunk box containing the sum of ($14,300,000). and no one knows about this, not even the security company because he registered the content of the box as Family Valuables.
He also told me that he used my name (williams david) as the next of kin in depositing the trunk box containing the money and also handed over the depository documents to me. He told me that it was because of his wealth that he was poisoned and that I should seek a trustworthy person in a country of my choice who could assist me to claim and invest this money.

Dear Beloved One, this is the main reason I contacted you. I want you to help me claim this consignment/trunk box (CASH) from the security company here in Abidjan Cote D'Ivoire to your country and also help me and my younger sister to relocate to your country to continue our life over there.

This country is no longer safe for my continual stay because every day here I am living under the fear of those my late father’s relatives. We are no longer living in our family house because they might try to kill us since they want to inherit all my late father’s properties. I am now living in a guest house here and I want to move out of the country
finally with this money and I need your help.
If you agree to help me, I will compensate you with 20% of the total sum and also you will manage these funds in any good investment while I will continue my studies and every income made will be shared between us. Thank you and I look forward to your positive response.

Consider this and get back to me as soon as possible.
Thank you so much.
My Sincere regards,
Williams David


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• What can you do when you receive 419 spam